I have been taking it very easy the past few days, enjoying time away from the monitor: hiking, biking, spending time relaxing and catching up on my stories. Fall semester is done, a weird one in some ways, exciting in many others. I finished with great grades and encouraging feedback from all of my instructors. Most of the weirdness was due to the virtual aspect of all the classes and the challenges of getting motivated in that medium, but adapt I did and I ended up mostly happy with the completion of the projects. Here’s a quick breakdown of my classes completed in this past fall semester:

Starting of my week was the Graphics & Portfolio of which the majority of this very website is the resultant project. Mostly centered on developing and polishing your portfolio and preparing to present your resume.

Next up on Thursday afternoons was my Model Making III course. I haven’t shared much on this project, but as it was a virtual class, I opted to design and print my prototypes and final model at home on my own Ender 3 3D printer. I think it came out well and I had the opportunity to work out a few kinks and learn more about operating a rapid-prototyping tool like the Ender, replacing heat sensors, dialing in speeds, qualities, and temperatures. (I intend on building a proper enclosure for this printer over this break to better help with temperature control). Watch the following video of the product I developed: an option for organizing your plastic container lids!

Thursday evening was Product Design III, this made for a long day; but as I have alluded to previously, my project was the Prep Duo bowl system designed for Proclamation Goods that sponsored the class. We are still eagerly waiting to find out who won the competition. (Thank you for everyone who voted for my entry to the school’s Winter Show).

Shortly following that Thursday evening class was Design Drawing III first thing Friday morning. This was also virtual and made me wish I had a larger flatbed scanner as I was never fully satisfied with the phone photos of my weekly drawings; fortunately the instructor didn’t mind as much. The midterm and final was to produce a layout of an existing product with just 5 - 10% design improvement. For the midterm I chose a bicycle chain tool and the final a carbonated water system for the kitchen not requiring small replacement cartridges.

Thanks for the interest and support as I continue this career changing foray back to school. Hope you enjoy!